The Yamaha YSP-1's Digital Sound Projection is totally different and much more immersive and believable than I've heard from anything less the most precisely placed and calibrated "traditional" circle-of-surround set-ups. It is more real ; and truly three dimensional in its ability to convincingly envelop the listener.

Center channel dialog can be tuned within the software to portray an actor's natural timbre without chesty upper bass frequency boost often heard with horizontal D'Appolito-style center channel speakers. Overdubbed voice insertions can more easily be detected within a movie scene because the voice will often exhibit the hooded mouth-too-close-to-the-microphone characteristic of a hastily added section of dialog. Conversely, a vocal recorded in the natural environment of the scene will be heard as such.

This natural, out-of-the-box effect is usually only heard from very flat-response loudspeakers which also have a very smooth polar response envelope. The YSP-1's center-channel articulation prowess, properly tuned, is among the most naturally detailed I've heard. (Dr. Hooley: This is likely related to the almost spherical waves emitted by the centre channel when its focal length is set negative , e.g. to say ~-0.5 to -1.5m.)

The naturalness of the YSP-1's center channel sound is carried through to all other channels in equal measure. That it may falter to an extent when trying to portray left-right information, widely splayed out within an overly large, corner placement environment serves only to outline one of the sole limitations of this marvelous machine. (Perhaps, a bit more tweaking could be done with respect to Image Location?)

The ease with which the YSP-1 can engulf the listener in a three-dimensional, immersive environment, especially with a very typical, acoustically live room is head-and-ears above most wall or ceiling-mounted surround speaker systems. Women notice this honest portrayal-of-naturalness difference immediately. Plus there are no ugly protuberances adorning their walls or sound attempting to be hidden within the walls. No ugly wires either.

That the YSP-1 easily and handily out-performs the popular cube systems in the same price ballpark isn't the point. Rather, Yamaha's Digital Sound Projector hopefully marks the first, almost perfectly executed volley in a new consumer electronics category - Digital Sound Projectors. Bravo!